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“If they asked me. .” [by David Lehman]
If they asked me to choose one of my favorite words leaving out the pronouns I would skip to "if."At the heart of rhetoric is "if" or sometimes "as if."If has the greatest potential.…
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Neither speak lost Estrucan; too short, too sibilant, too clear
We are in a former state, in a principality, of the Holy Roman Empire – it seems lost Etruscan is the way of speech here, filled with short sibilance and long silent vowels. Like…
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The two funniest words in the language: Groucho Marx. As the gang roasts Johnny Carson.
Groucho proves that, as Alan King says, he " makes Don Rickles look like the flying nun." Groucho: "I went to Nebraska to talk to Johnny's mother. I am happy to report that she…
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Poem for the Season: “December 25” by David Lehman
Christmas defeated Chanukahonce again last nightby a margin of three billion dollarsor so, but every time I heara Yiddish word like bupkesin a movie (L.A. Confidential)or when Oleg Cassini in that new play Jackiecalls…
